Many young swedes are neither religious or atheists

”Young people and religion: Believers, uninterested, or neutral?”. In a new textbook for students Maria Klingenberg, lecturer in religious behavioural science, and Mia Lövheim, professor of sociology of religion, Uppsala university, sweden gathered responses from more than a thousand swedes between 16 and 24 years of age on how they look at religion, faith and spirituality.

– Many young swedes end up in a wide mittfåra where they are neither religious or atheists, " says Maria Klingenberg.

in how high a degree they are believers, atheist or disinterested in religion, faith and spirituality, it is important to believe in something or belong to a religious tradition in order to have a good life and if they feel that they belong to a religious tradition.

Based on the answers, will she find the four groups. 20 per cent are described as ”believers”. 36% are ”uninterested”. They define themselves as atheists and are uninterested in religion, faith and spirituality.

26 percent say that they belong to a religious tradition and are therefore identified as ”belonging”, but is not a believer and neither interested or uninterested. 18 per cent are described as ”neutral”. They abstain from taking a position, but see themselves not as atheists, believers or belong to a religious tradition.

there is a need for more studies in Sweden on the secular, non-religious.

" For me it was interesting to see how these two mittengrupperna was designed with those who feel that they belong to a religious tradition and those who refrain from taking a position. Those who take a distance from religion or say they are not believers is not a unitary group but there are many different variations. A rejection of faith and religion can both be a conscious non-religious stance and lack of interest.